Magpies can form friendships with people – here's how

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Gisela Kaplan

2017
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In this article, Gisela Kaplan discusses the relationship between humans and magpies, a type of black and white bird.
Can one form a friendship with a magpie — even when adult males are protecting their nests during the swooping season? The short answer is: “Yes, one can.”

Ravens and magpies are known to form powerful allegiances among themselves. In fact, Australia is thought to be a hotspot for cooperative behavior in birds worldwide. They like to stick together with family and mates.

Of course, many bird species may readily become tame enough to take food from our hand, but this isn’t really “friendship.” However, there is evidence that, remarkably, free-living magpies can forge lasting relationships with people, even without depending on us for food or shelter.

When magpies are permanently settled on human property, they are also far less likely to swoop the people who live there. Over 80% of all successfully breeding magpies live near human houses, which means the vast majority of people never get swooped. Also, since magpies can live between 25 and 30 years and are territorial, they can develop lifelong friendships with humans. This bond can extend to trusting certain people around their offspring.

A key reason why friendships with magpies are possible is that we now know that magpies are able to recognize and remember individual human faces for many years. They will remember someone who was good to them; equally, they remember negative encounters.

Why become friends?
Magpies that actively form friendships with people make this investment (from their point of view) for good reason. Properties suitable for magpies are hard to come by and the competition is fierce. Most magpies will not secure a territory — let alone breed — until they are at least five years old. In fact, only about 14% of adult magpies ever succeed in breeding.

The difference between simply not swooping someone and a real friendship manifests in several ways. When magpies have formed an attachment, they will often show their trust, for example, by formally introducing their offspring. They may allow their chicks to play near people, not fly away when a resident human is approaching, and actually approach or roost near a human.

In rare cases, they may even join in human activity. On one extraordinary occasion, an adult female magpie gingerly entered my house on foot, and hopped over to my desk where I was sitting. She watched me type on the keyboard and even looked at the screen. I had to get up to take a phone call and when I returned, the magpie had taken up a position at my keyboard, pecked the keys gently, and then looked at the “results” on the screen.

The bird was curious about everything I did. She also wanted to play with me and found my shoelaces particularly attractive, pulling them and then running away a little only to return for another go.

Importantly, it was the bird that had begun to take the initiative and had chosen to socially interact and such behavior, as research has shown particularly in primates, is part of the basis of social bonds and friendships.

Risky business
If magpies can be so good with humans, how can one explain their swooping at people? It’s worth bearing in mind that swooping magpies do not act in aggression or anger but as nest defenders. The strategy they choose is based on risk assessment.

A risk is posed by someone who is unknown and was not present at the time of nest building, which unfortunately is often the case in public places and parks. That person is then classified as a territorial intruder and thus a potential risk to their family. At this point the male guarding the nest performs a warning swoop, literally asking a person to step away from the nest area.

If warnings are ignored, the adult male may try to conduct a near-contact swoop aimed at the head. Magpie swooping is generally a defensive action taken when someone unknown approaches who the magpie believes intends harm. It is not an arbitrary attack.

When I was swooped for the first time in a public place, I slowly walked over to the other side of the road. Importantly, I allowed the male to study my face and appearance from a safe distance, so he could remember me in the future. This is a useful strategy since we now know that magpies remember human faces.

A sure way of escalating conflict is to fence them with a device like an umbrella or to run away at high speed. This approach may well confirm for the magpie that the person concerned is dangerous and needs to be fought with every available strategy.

In dealing with magpies, de-escalating a perceived conflict is usually the best strategy.

21 out of 34 Answered
Question 22

Which TWO statements best describe the central ideas of the article?

A. Magpies will randomly swoop people to assert their dominance.

B. Magpies will swoop people to warn them away from their nests.

C. Magpies that trust people can form long-lasting friendships with them.

D. People can establish a friendship with magpies by offering them food.

E. People are more likely to form a friendship with magpies kept as pets.

F. People should show that they are unafraid when swooped by magpies.

21 out of 34 Answered
Question 23

The author introduces magpies by —

A. explaining how different species of animals defend themselves.

B. defining important terms that the reader will need to understand.

C. presenting the question she plans to answer throughout the article.

D. discussing birds and then broadening her discussion to other animal species.

21 out of 34 Answered
Question 24

Paragraph 3 refines the author's ideas in the article by —

A. explaining how birds' and people's approaches to friendship differ.

B. showing that people can form friendships with various species of animals.

C. suggesting that providing birds with food and shelter is an important part of friendship.

D. distinguishing between what does and does not qualify as a friendship between birds and humans.

21 out of 34 Answered
Question 25

What is the effect of the author describing magpies' relationships with people as an "investment"? (Paragraph 6)

A. It highlights that the relationships are temporary.

B. It suggests that people benefit from the relationships.

C. It suggests that magpies benefit from the relationships.

D. It highlights that the relationships are more difficult to develop over time.

21 out of 34 Answered
Question 26

How does the author develop the idea that magpies can grow to trust people?

A. by sharing examples of how magpies behave when they trust someone

B. by detailing how magpies will only live around people that they trust

C. by comparing magpies to other birds that trust people

D. by explaining how a person can earn a magpie's trust

21 out of 34 Answered
Question 27

Which word is closest in meaning to "manifests" as it is used in paragraph 7?

A. appears

B. contrasts

C. recedes

D. varies

21 out of 34 Answered
Question 28

Paragraphs 8-9 contribute to the development of ideas in the article by —

A. supporting the idea that magpies are nonviolent birds.

B. describing a situation in which a magpie was friendly toward a person.

C. providing instructions for how a person can obtain a magpie's trust.

D. comparing magpies' behavior to the behavior of other birds.

21 out of 34 Answered
Question 29

What is the meaning of "arbitrary" in paragraph 13?

A. avoidable

B. intentional

C. preventative

D. random

21 out of 34 Answered
Question 30

Which quotation best explains why magpies are protective of their nests?

A. "When magpies are permanently settled on human property, they are also far less likely to swoop the people who live there." (Paragraph 4)

B. "The difference between simply not swooping someone and a real friendship manifests in several ways." (Paragraph 7)

C. "Magpie swooping is generally a defensive action taken when someone unknown approaches who the magpie believes intends harm." (Paragraph 13)

D. "When I was swooped for the first time in a public place, I slowly walked over to the other side of the road." (Paragraph 14)

21 out of 34 Answered
Question 31

The author develops her point of view by describing —

A. an experiment with magpies.

B. her observations of magpies.

C. other friendships across species.

D. how taming magpies affects their behavior.

21 out of 34 Answered
Question 32

Which quotation best shows how a person should respond to a swooping magpie?

A. "The bird was curious about everything I did. She also wanted to play with me and found my shoelaces particularly attractive" (Paragraph 9)

B. "If warnings are ignored, the adult male may try to conduct a near-contact swoop aimed at the head." (Paragraph 13)

C. "I allowed the male to study my face and appearance from a safe distance" (Paragraph 14)

D. "A sure way of escalating conflict is to fence them with a device like an umbrella or to run away at high speed." (Paragraph 15)

21 out of 34 Answered
Question 33

The author develops the central ideas of the article by —

A. explaining the motivations behind magpies' behaviors.

B. describing the research she has conducted on magpies.

C. comparing how magpies behave in the country and in the city.

D. suggesting that magpies have become more suspicious of humans recently.

21 out of 34 Answered
Question 34

The author's most likely purpose in the article is to —

A. explain why people should avoid magpies during the swooping season.

B. provide information about magpies' different interactions with people.

C. convey how rare it is for magpies to form friendships with people.

D. encourage people to interact with magpie chicks to build trust.

Answer 1

Here are the suggested answers based on the content of the article:

Question 22: Which TWO statements best describe the central ideas of the article?

• B. Magpies will swoop people to warn them away from their nests.
• C. Magpies that trust people can form long-lasting friendships with them.

Question 23: The author introduces magpies by —

• C. presenting the question she plans to answer throughout the article.

Question 24: Paragraph 3 refines the author's ideas in the article by —

• D. distinguishing between what does and does not qualify as a friendship between birds and humans.

Question 25: What is the effect of the author describing magpies' relationships with people as an "investment"? (Paragraph 6)

• C. It suggests that magpies benefit from the relationships.

Question 26: How does the author develop the idea that magpies can grow to trust people?

• A. by sharing examples of how magpies behave when they trust someone

Question 27: Which word is closest in meaning to "manifests" as it is used in paragraph 7?

• A. appears

Question 28: Paragraphs 8-9 contribute to the development of ideas in the article by —

• B. describing a situation in which a magpie was friendly toward a person.

Question 29: What is the meaning of "arbitrary" in paragraph 13?

• D. random

Question 30: Which quotation best explains why magpies are protective of their nests?

• C. "Magpie swooping is generally a defensive action taken when someone unknown approaches who the magpie believes intends harm." (Paragraph 13)

Question 31: The author develops her point of view by describing —

• B. her observations of magpies.

Question 32: Which quotation best shows how a person should respond to a swooping magpie?

• C. "I allowed the male to study my face and appearance from a safe distance" (Paragraph 14)

Question 33: The author develops the central ideas of the article by —

• A. explaining the motivations behind magpies' behaviors.

Question 34: The author's most likely purpose in the article is to —

• B. provide information about magpies' different interactions with people.